Sacrifice Fly
by derangedperson
Summary: Set after the events in "No Such Luck." Lincoln has forgiven his family for what happened, but there's one holdout: Lynn. What can she do to win back his trust?
1. Strike One

**Yup, it's another fic written in response to "No Such Luck." However, after seeing so many response fics to this episode where someone dies, gets hurt or both, I decided to go the kinder and gentler route. No one dies, and no one gets hurt. So, here's my contribution. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream  
I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean  
I don't know how I got this way  
I know it's not all right  
So I'm breaking the habit  
I'm breaking the habit tonight  
-Linkin Park_

The squirrel costume tumbled into the back of the garbage truck as Lincoln and his parents watched the scene unfold. Once the refuse was collected, the garbageman activated the truck's massive compressor as parents and child watched the costume get crushed and pulled back into the truck's belly. After two weeks of humiliation, it was finally over. As they watched the truck head down Franklin Avenue, Lincoln was taken by surprise as Lynn Sr. and Rita spun him around and pulled him into a massive hug, tears falling from their eyes as apology after apology filled Lincoln's ears. He was quick to return the hug and assure them with a sympathetic "Mom, dad, it's okay. It's okay."

"It's not okay, son," Lynn Sr. replied. "We should've known better!"

"We're your parents," Rita sobbed. "There's no excuse for what we did! None!"

"So you're saying I'm not bad luck after all?"

Lynn Sr. looked Lincoln in the eyes and declared, "You're not bad luck, son. You never were, and never will be, bad luck. You and your sisters are the best thing that ever happened to us, and we will do _anything_ to make this up to you."

Lincoln's response was an incredulous, "Well, you can start by buying me some new furniture."

"Of course, honey," Rita replied. "In fact, let's go do that right now." At her urging, the trio hopped into Vanzilla and drove to a local bedroom store, Bill's Beds and Bunks. As he browsed through the various options of beds and dressers, the thought of deliberately choosing the most expensive ones crossed Lincoln's mind more than once. However, cooler heads prevailed and Lincoln chose a simple frame with a decorative headboard and footboard, a SleepWell mattress, a pair of pillows and a sturdy wooden chest of drawers. Everything fit into Vanzilla with no problems, and once the trio arrived home, Lynn Sr. and Rita began moving the furniture into Lincoln's bedroom. They visibly and audibly strained in picking up the chest of drawers, and Lincoln was quick to ask, "Hey, you guys need help with that? I can get Luna or-"

"No, son," Lynn Sr. responded in between grunts of effort. "This...is our penance."

"Yeah," Rita added. "We can...handle this. Just...give us a few minutes."

"Okay, if you insist." Lincoln left them to their work as he turned on the TV and switched it to the latest episode of ARGGH! Before the episode could get underway, however, Lynn jumped onto the couch, landing with an audible _whump!_ She grinned and said, "Hey, bro! Mind if I watch with you?"

Lincoln said nothing and stared straight ahead as he got up off the couch and went into the kitchen. A confused stare appeared on the jock's face as she asked, "What? Are you still mad about before?" After a few seconds, she shrugged it off and switched the channel to a Detroit Tigers game. "Let's go, Verlander! Kick some butt!" Meanwhile in the kitchen, Lincoln was preparing a peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich for himself when Lori and Leni came into the room. When they caught sight of Lincoln, the duo motioned for him to come over to them. He did so, and before he knew it two pairs of arms threw themselves around him and hugged him tight as Lori exclaimed, "We are literally so sorry, Lincoln. For everything."

"Yeah," Leni said. "We totes have no excuse for what we did."

"Hey, I'm sorry for breaking your sand wedge," Lincoln answered as he returned the embrace. "I should never have let that rumor get so out of hand."

"If there's anything we can do to make this up to you, please let us know," Lori said.

"This is fine, sis," Lincoln said with a smile. "This is fine."

"Are you sure, Linky?"

"Of course, Leni. I'm just happy to have you guys back." His sisters smiled as they broke their embrace, with Leni asking, "Anybody want a smoothie?" Lincoln and Lori responded with a collective "That sounds great!" However, unbeknownst to them, Lynn stood in the hallway watching the entire scene unfold. A heavy feeling formed in her chest as she watched the trio laughing and carrying on, sharing the smoothie that Leni had made. All she could think was, _He forgave them...of course he did._ She let out a heavy sigh and returned to the couch, still cheering the Tigers on, but now with a marked lack of enthusiasm.

"You got him, Justin. Woo hoo."


	2. Strike Two

"Okay, son," Lynn Sr. announced as he walked down the stairs, drenched in sweat. "Your bedroom's all ready! Everything's set up just the way it was!"

"Awesome! Thanks, guys!" Lincoln gave his parents a hug and ran upstairs to his room, where he was overjoyed to find it looking exactly as it always had. He grabbed an Ace Savvy comic, kicked off his shoes and clothes and jumped onto the bed, relishing in the comfort and security of having an actual mattress to sleep on for the first time in two weeks. It didn't take long before the book's account of Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack's latest adventure had him fully engrossed, and he was unaware of the fact that Lucy had entered his room until she spoke.

"I see you have your furniture back."

Lincoln yelped in surprise and fell off his bed, but quickly recovered and climbed back onto it, rubbing the top of his head as he did so. "Y...yeah I do, Lucy, and it feels so good. Now I don't have to sleep on the floor anymore!"

"Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course not! Get up here!" He patted the space next to him, and Lucy accepted his invitation. When she sat down, it almost felt like she was sitting on a cloud. She remarked, "Wow, this mattress is really comfy...almost as comfy as a coffin."

Lincoln flashed a nervous grin and replied, "Yeah, that's why I chose it. Nothing but the best for a good night's sleep...or eternal sleep, for that matter."

A faint smile crept across Lucy's lips as she pulled out her poetry journal. "Would you like to hear my latest anthem to the darkness?"

"Uh...sure," her brother responded as he put the comic down. "What's this one about? Gothica? Vampires? Gothic vampires?"

"Actually, it's about what you went through...and how badly my black heart aches about it." Lincoln's eyes softened as he put his arm across Lucy's shoulders and said, "Let's hear it."

"Very well. This poem is called 'Apology.' Ahem...

When superstition and fear take over the mind,  
It will often lead to deeds unkind.  
Keeping you in that costume was a total disgrace,  
Blinding us to the pain written all over your face.  
Using you as nothing more than a lucky token  
Undoubtedly left your poor heart broken."

"You have no idea," Lincoln replied. Lucy nodded slightly and continued.

"To say nothing of mine, as black as the night.  
I feel terrible for adding to your plight.  
I wish I could conjure a spell to destroy  
These last two weeks. That would fill me with joy.  
But now it's all over. We're a family again.  
And my heart swells with love and compassion when  
I say this to you, dear Lincoln, my brother:  
Welcome home. Will this happen again? Never.  
I love you more than you'll ever realize  
And from the bottom of my heart, I apologize."

Lincoln's heart swelled as he moved in to give Lucy a hug, but she put her hand up, stopping him in his tracks. "I appreciate the sentiment, brother, but...could you at least put a shirt on?"

Lincoln's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "Sure thing." He threw his orange polo on in record time as he reached out once again for a hug, and this time, Lucy accepted. A small sniffle was heard as the normally emotionless goth fought back her tears and whispered, "I missed you, Lincoln."

"I missed you too." He kissed the top of her head and added, "Thanks for the poem."

"Anytime. By the way, what's a good rhyme for 'grave?'"

Lincoln had no idea how much he'd missed Lucy asking him that question, so to hear it again was like a symphony of delight to his ears. With a confident grin, he exclaimed, "Let's see...there's brave, knave, slave, behave, rave..."

"Perfect," Lucy said as she jumped off the bed. "You're the best, Lincoln."

"Thanks, Lucy." She smiled and closed the door, allowing Lincoln to return to his comic. He took his shirt off again and resumed reading, only for the door to blow open as Lynn entered with all the grace of a drunken buffalo. "Cool, bro! You got all your stuff back!"

Lincoln narrowed his eyes and buried his face in the pages of the comic. "Oh, giving me the silent treatment, huh? Well, how about...THIS?" Lynn dropped into a karate stance and poked Lincoln in his side, hoping for a reaction, but he didn't react in the slightest. "Come on, bro! You can't ignore me forever!"

Once again, Lincoln said nothing. Frustrated, Lynn grabbed the top of his comic and pulled it down to look at him face to face. "Dude, what's your-" When she saw just how angry he was, however, the question died on her lips. Without saying a word, he grabbed the comic from her and jumped off his bed, exiting his room and leaving Lynn in the lurch once again. All she could do was blink twice in shock and shout, "Dude! _Seriously?!"_ Her question went unanswered as she left her brother's room, shutting the light off and closing the door as she did so. The shock she felt had by this point curdled into confusion, which had her racking her brain for answers. _Gotta do something to clear my mind...well, it's been a while since I dusted my trophies. Let's do that!_

Feather duster in hand, Lynn set about dusting off her trophies-namely, the ones that didn't fit in the family trophy case-in the room she shared with Lucy. She hummed "We Are The Champions" under her breath as she glided the duster over, around and through her awards, grinning as the memories came flooding back. From scoring the winning touchdown in the Royal Woods football tourney to having the best costume in the Royal Woods Color Run, every trophy brought a smile to her face and a rush of adrenaline as she made her way down the line. The good memories continued to crop up: a winning assist in youth hockey...bowling a 300 game...a five-minute mile run...

And then she reached the last trophy. The trophy for the Royal Woods Junior Baseball championship. As she glanced at the achievement, the smile faded from her face and melancholy began to set in. Instead of her game winning, 0-2 pitch grand slam, instead of a solid pitching stat line, instead of the joy and excitement of sharing the victory with her teammates...the only thing that she remembered was three words.

 _"You're bad luck."_

Lynn shut her eyes and let out a heavy sigh as the memories came flooding back. From hiding behind the dumpster to the sad, humiliating saga of the squirrel costume, every memory brought tears to her eyes and a rush of regret as she stared a hole through the trophy. If she had just kept her mouth shut and taken the loss to the Daisy Hill Daisies like the pro she thought she was, none of what Lincoln went through would have happened.

 _"You're bad luck."_

Those three words kept echoing over and over in Lynn's mind, torturing her to no end. As the words replayed, so did her actions throughout the past few days. Every vignette was like a dagger to her heart as she began to realize just how badly Lincoln had been treated...


	3. Ball One

_The rain cascaded down onto Lincoln's head as he pounded on the door to the kitchen. "COME ON, GUYS! LET ME IN! It's pouring out here, and I'm gonna get sick!"_

 _Lynn responded, "Put the head on and we'll let you in!"_

 _"No!"_

 _"Then I guess you and your bad luck will just have to tough it out!"_

 _Lincoln grimaced and replied, "Okay, FINE! I'm putting the head on now!" Once the squirrel costume was complete, the door opened as Lynn spouted a cheery "Come on in, bro! There's no point in staying outside today; it's pouring rain out there!"_

 _Beneath the mask, Lincoln gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath._

* * *

 _It was like a sauna in the squirrel costume as Lincoln felt the sun beating down upon him. He could feel his heart beginning to race as his family swam in the lake a few yards away. Desperate for some relief from the heat, he pulled the squirrel head off and gasped in a few lungfuls of air before he heard Lynn yell, "Get that head back on, bro! We don't wanna have any shark attacks because of you!"_

 _"Lynn, I think I'm getting heatstroke!"_

 _"Not my problem! Head...ON!"_

 _Once he had the head back on, Lincoln's rage boiled over and he began to scream and rant, his exclamations muffled by the costume's skin._

* * *

 _Lincoln walked over to the cooler and poured himself a cup of Gatorade. He began to take the squirrel head off only to have it shoved back down again as Lynn's voice rang out, "I don't think so! The game's not over yet!"_

 _"Lynn...I'm...THIRSTY."_

 _"So am I!" Lynn grabbed the cup from Lincoln's hand-or paw, in this case-and chugged the drink down in two large gulps before dragging Lincoln back to the sidelines. "Now stay here and stay in the costume! There's still a whole half to go!" As she ran back onto the field, Lincoln snuck out of the costume, stood it upright, and bolted from the game. Luckily, he was able to find a water fountain nearby and drank from it for a solid minute and a half. His thirst satisfied, he returned to the game and climbed back into the costume. When the game ended, Lynn grabbed him and demanded, "Where were you?"_

 _"What do you mean? I was right here!"_

 _"Don't lie to me! I saw you sneaking off! You were gone for five minutes, and I threw two picks in that window!"_

 _"Maybe the defenders had a good read on your route."_

 _"DON'T GIVE ME EXCUSES! DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO LEAVE?!"_

 _"I WAS THIRSTY! Do you have any idea how hot it gets in this thing?! All I wanted was a drink of water, Gatorade, ANYTHING! And you denied me that! What the heck is WRONG with you?!"_

 _"He's right, Lynn." Lori's voice cut through the air as Lynn spun around to face her sisters and parents. "I'm literally not even a fan of football, but even I could tell that those throws were terrible."_

 _"Don't you even think about coming to his defense! His bad luck's-"_

 _"SHUT UP, LYNN!" The sheer anger in Luna's voice stopped Lynn in her tracks. "Do you even CARE about what Lincoln's been through these last few weeks?! We've treated him like absolute crap!"_

 _"Yeah," Lola added. "I'm no angel, but even I know when things go too far!"_

 _Lynn's jaw dropped. "You guys can't be serious!"_

 _"Well, we are," Lucy said, her monotone voice betraying more than a little emotion. "How is it you're the only one who can't see how angry and hurt he is? Look at him!" She pointed at Lincoln, his face flushed and full of rage, ready to boil over at any minute. The sight of it made Lynn realize she was in for a serious reckoning._

 _"And this all started because of your dumb superstitions," Luan spat. "Did it ever occur to you that sometimes, even the great Lynn Loud Jr. makes mistakes just like the rest of us?"_

 _"Like the mistake I made letting this whole bad luck thing get so carried away," Lincoln added. "It should've blown over after a few hours! How the heck did you let it get to this point?!"_

 _"I...I was..."_

 _"Are your silly superstitions more important than your own sibling?" Lisa asked. "Your own family?"_

 _"I'm so mad, I can't even look at you right now," Lana snarled as she turned her back to Lynn._

 _"But you all went along with it," Lynn countered. "You could've stopped at any time-"_

 _"And we did!" Lori responded. "Lincoln came to us in tears after the first week he spent in that squirrel suit! He begged us-BEGGED US-to stop! We all saw how badly this was hurting him! Why can't you?!"_

 _"He LEFT, and I threw two picks because of it!"_

 _"OH, COME ON!" Leni shouted. "Are you gonna, like, blame_ everything _bad that happens to you on Lawrence? If anyone should be wearing that ugly costume right now, it's YOU!"_

 _"In a just world, that'd be the case!" Lincoln yelled. "You got cocky! You threw four bad pitches and the Daisies capitalized! And you have the gall to say I was bad luck?!" Lincoln tore off the squirrel costume, not caring that he was now standing in nothing but his socks and underwear, and concluded his outburst with, "YOU forced me to come to that game! YOU screwed up! YOU lost! YOU kept me in that costume! This...all of this...IS YOUR FAULT! YOU ARE THE WORST SISTER EVER AND_ _ **I HATE YOU!"**_

 _Lynn was too shocked to say or do anything as Lincoln stepped back amidst the rest of his sisters. Tears of rage stained Lincoln's face as his remaining siblings surrounded him-they weren't surprised at his outburst in the least, but more than a few visibly cringed at his declaration of hate. A big group hug was initiated by Luna in an attempt to calm him down, and Lincoln's breathing began to calm as they rocked him back and forth._

 _After Lincoln calmed down, Lynn Sr. announced, "Now that everyone's had their say, it's time for a vote! All in favor of getting rid of the squirrel costume, raise your hands!" To no one's surprise, all of his family, sans one, raised their hands in the affirmative. It also came as no surprise that Lynn Jr. was the only holdout, and even then it was out of shock. As the family piled into Vanzilla, the squirrel costume lying in a heap in the back, his sisters allowed Lincoln to have the sweet spot, not caring that he reeked of stale sweat and B.O. They were just happy to have him back. Happy that his ordeal was over. Lynn, however, couldn't even look her siblings in the eyes. She kept her head down and remained silent for the entire ride home, which felt like an eternity to her._

 _"He'll forget about it," she assured herself under her breath. "This'll blow over. It always does. Lincoln will be back to his old self in no time flat."_

* * *

But as she knew, that turned out not to be the case at all.

Lincoln's rage-fueled rant echoed in her head as Lynn began to breathe heavily, the weight of what she had done hitting her like a freight train. It didn't help that, as she looked out her bedroom door, she saw Lincoln leaving Lisa and Lily's room, cuddling the baby in his arms and hearing Lisa thank him for helping with her latest experiment. And just to rub salt in the wound, Lola and Lana approached him with two separate invitations: Lola with a combination tea party/fashion show with Leni, and Lana with a trip to Dairy Land. Hearing Lincoln happily accept both of them twisted the knife even further as Lynn silently closed her bedroom door. As she turned back towards the baseball trophy, a rush of adrenaline coursed through her as she grabbed the award and raised it over her head, intending to smash it to pieces. All the pain, all the humiliation and all the rage Lincoln had felt...it all stemmed from this. Lynn screamed and reared back to spike the trophy into the ground when, all of a sudden, she got an idea.

"Of course," she exclaimed. _"That's_ what I'll do!"

She opened her sock drawer and rooted around for a few seconds, eventually uncovering a small box. Opening it revealed a small stash of money that came out to $239 after Lynn counted it all. She took $150 from the box before hiding it once again and wrote a note explaining what she was doing, taping it to the outside of her door when she was finished. With the trophy tucked under her arm, she left the house and walked to the nearest bus stop, armed with her cell phone and a set of written directions. After a few minutes of waiting, the bus arrived.

 _Here goes nothing._

Lynn climbed aboard, paid the fare, and rode to the mall.

* * *

Two days after her secret trip, Lynn received a phone call from the shop she had visited. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end asked, "Lynn Loud?"

"Speaking."

"Hey, this is Jack from The Trophy Case. Just calling to let you know that your order is complete and it's ready for pick-up."

"Sweet! What time are you guys open till?"

"We're open till 8 tonight."

"Thanks; see you soon!" Lynn hung up, grabbed her money and opened her bedroom door, intending to catch the bus but instead revealing a furious Lori standing in front of her. The eldest Loud sister pulled the note from her pocket and growled, "You went to the mall and didn't tell me?!"

"I know I should've, but..."

"The 50% off sale at Lacy's ended two days ago! The least you could've done is offer to take me with you!"

"Lori, I have a good reason why I didn't tell you...or anyone, for that matter."

"I'm giving you fifteen seconds to tell me, or else I'm literally gonna turn you into a human pretzel!" Lori cracked her knuckles and declared, "Your time starts NOW!"

"Okay! The trophy I got for winning the junior baseball championship...do you see it anywhere?" Lori came in and looked through Lynn's numerous accolades before replying, "No, I don't."

"That's because I took it to The Trophy Case and had it altered."

Lori gasped in shock. "You altered it?! Lynn, these things are literally like your children! Why would you do something like that?" Lynn's face saddened as her gaze drifted to the floor, and she responded with one word: "Lincoln."

The hardness in Lori's eyes disappeared as she knelt down and took Lynn's hands in hers. Lynn continued, "Really, the only way I can explain what I did is to show it to you. Can you give me a ride?"

"Absolutely." With Lori's blessing, the duo climbed into Vanzilla and headed to the mall. Once they found a parking spot, they headed straight for The Trophy Case, a store that specialized in sports trophies of all shapes and sizes as well as repair and custom build services. And as an added bonus, it was located three shops down from Lacy's, which made Lori very happy. Once they entered the store, Lori looked at the sheer volume of sports trophies and memorabilia lining the shelves and remarked, "You'd be right at home here, sis."

However, Lynn said nothing as she walked up to the counter. The clerk, clad in a Calvin Johnson jersey, asked, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," Lynn responded. "I got a call from you guys saying my order's ready; it should be under Lynn Loud."

"All right, let me check." The clerk retreated to the back room, and after a few minutes, he returned with a trophy wrapped in bubble wrap and cardboard. "Here's your trophy, Lynn. All told, it comes to $144.30." Lynn paid the fee and received her trophy, asking, "Mind if I take a look at it?"

"Go right ahead." She removed the protective coverings and showed the trophy to Lori, who gasped and covered her mouth when it was fully revealed to her. Everything on the trophy relating to baseball had been removed, and in their stead were small pictures of Lincoln and a custom-made figure of him that stood atop the middle spire. The original plaque had been replaced with a new one that read:

WORLD'S GREATEST BROTHER  
AWARDED TO LINCOLN LOUD  
LOVE YOU BRO

Tears welled in Lori's eyes as she took it in, and she wrapped her arms around Lynn and gave her a big hug. "I'm so proud of you...Lincoln's gonna love it."

"Yeah, well, he still hasn't said a thing to me since the blow-up at my football game," Lynn replied. "I don't know how I'm gonna give this to him."

"We'll just have to look for an opening. Now let's get this home...right after a quick trip to Lacy's." The sight of a 25% off sale banner proved too tempting to resist, and Lori made a mad dash to the department store with Lynn in hot pursuit.


	4. Run Scored

One of the things that the Loud siblings loved about the school year was days like this. A teacher's meeting had been scheduled for this particular day, and a teacher meeting meant no school. And no school meant a whole day to spend at Dairy Land. With his udder hat, Tippy T-shirt, and two jars of milk attached to either side of his waist, Lincoln was more than ready to go. When he stepped out into the hallway, however, Luna, Luan, Lana and Lisa were all waiting for him, much to his surprise. "Whoa! I thought it was just gonna be you and me, Lana!"

The handyman cracked, "Word travels fast 'round these parts, Linc. You should know that."

"Besides," Luan added, "the five of us will make a pretty good team! In fact, you could say we'll be _udderly_ unbeatable! Hahahahaha! Get it?"

Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes as Lisa handed out small wristbands to everyone. "Today's venture is a good chance to test out my latest invention. What you hold in your hands is an item that will revolutionize the sunblock industry."

"How does it work?" Luna asked.

"Allow me to demonstrate." Lisa fastened hers to her left wrist and stepped into the beam of sunlight shining into Luna and Luan's room. When the light touched the wristband, a protective film surrounded Lisa's body and attached itself to her, vanishing as it made contact. Her siblings gasped in surprise as the little genius said, "As you can see, when you wear this and the sun's rays hit it, it dispenses a film that provides complete protection from our brightest star's ultraviolet rays. The effect will last as long as you wear the wristband."

"Wow, Lis, that's really cool," Lana said. "I can't wait to try mine out!" All of a sudden, a whistle cut through their conversation as Lori announced, "All right, Louds! It's 9 o'clock, and Dairy Land opens at 10! Vanzilla will be running within the next ten minutes! If you're not in your seat by then, you WILL be left behind! Let's get a move on!"

At her behest, the quintet slapped their wristbands on and made their way to the front door. Lincoln was the first in line, and when he opened the door he found himself face to face with Lynn, a sheepish grin on her face and her hands behind her back. "Oh...hey, Lincoln!"

Lincoln crossed his arms and averted his gaze as she continued speaking. "Listen, I've been doing a lot of thinking the last few days, and..."

"Save it, Lynn." Lincoln's declaration made his siblings gasp in surprise as he continued. "As far as I'm concerned, you have nothing to say to me. Now get out of my way-I've got a theme park to visit." He shoved her aside and stalked towards Vanzilla; he had his hand on the door handle when he heard the voice boom:

"LINCOLN, I'M SORRY!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned his attention back to Lynn, whose face was stained with regret. "Please, bro...I really mean it. I can't stand seeing you like this. I...I even went out and got you something really special."

"It better not be a Dutch oven."

"Nah, that's for later. What I got you is in my room, if you wanna come see it." Lincoln thought it over as Lynn gulped her emotions back, not wanting to break down in front of everyone. After a long silence, Lincoln said, "All right, but this had better be worth it."

"Well, come on upstairs!" Lincoln and Lynn entered the house, but Lynn hung back for a few seconds as Lori smiled and gave her a thumbs-up gesture. Lynn returned the sentiment and raced up the stairs, nearly knocking Lincoln down in the process. He shot her a dirty look, and her response was, "Sorry, bro-I'm just so excited to show this to you! Come on!" She took him by the hand and led him into her room, and once they were inside, she closed the door and locked it.

"Wha...HEY! Lynn, open the door right now!"

"No dice, Linc. You're gonna see this whether you like it or not. Now look around. Do you notice anything different?" Lincoln rolled his eyes and played along, scanning the room for anything that might be out of order or askew. Eventually he turned to Lynn and answered, "I don't see anything. Now please open the door."

"Look harder." Her brother slapped his forehead in frustration and began to look through her trophies just to humor her. Everything appeared to be in order as he moved on down the line past the Color Run trophy to the bowling, hockey and track trophies...but one was missing. "Where's the trophy from your baseball game?"

"Good eye, bro! As a matter of fact, it's right here!" She reached under her bed and pulled it out, removing the bubble wrap and cardboard, revealing its new appearance to Lincoln. He gasped in surprise as he looked it over, touched by the sentiment the trophy displayed. A warm smile spread across his face as he read the plaque, while Lynn shifted nervously in the background. Lincoln shook his head in amazement and said, "Lynn, are you sure this is your baseball trophy?"

"Yeah," Lynn replied. "It is...it _was."_

"Why'd you change it?"

Lynn took Lincoln's hands in hers and began to explain. "You were completely in the right, Lincoln. Every time I looked at this trophy, all it reminded me of was the bad times you went through because of us." She sniffled and added, "Because of _me."_

A sympathetic gaze began to appear on Lincoln's face as Lynn continued. "I was so blinded by my pride and my superstitions that I didn't see what was right in front of me. You were right-I got cocky and started showboating in that Daisy Hill game. _That's_ what caused us to lose. Not you." She shook her head and started to tear up. "I had to do something to make it up to you, so I had the trophy modified. Like my coach says, turn a negative into a positive."

"And you did this...for _me?_ Why?"

"Because you're my brother...and I love you." As soon as she said those words, the dam broke and tears began to fall down Lynn's face. She began to pour her heart out, her declarations punctuated by deep, heaving breaths: "I know I don't say it...or show it as often as I should, but I love you, Lincoln! You're the best little brother a girl could ever have! You're not bad luck, and you never were! All those things I did to you...I'm a terrible person, and I don't deserve to be your sister!" By this point, Lynn was outright bawling, a state Lincoln had never seen her in before. A huge surge of sympathy coursed through his body as he brought her in for the biggest sibling hug he could offer. All the while, Lynn sobbed into his shoulder and kept repeating, "I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry...I'm a horrible person..."

"No, you're not," Lincoln insisted as he squeezed her tight. "I never want to hear you say that again, do you understand?"

"But...but the beach...the rainstorm...what I said to you at the football game..."

"I forgive you, Lynn. For all of it."

"But...why?"

"Because you're my sister, and I love you."

Lynn dragged her shirt sleeve across her eyes and choked out, "I...I thought you said...you hated me..."

"I was angry. And I had every right to be. But I took it _way_ too far, and I'm truly sorry for that. I don't hate you, and I never will."

"R...really?"

"Absolutely. Just don't do it again... _or else."_ Lincoln narrowed his eyes and brandished his fist, the sight of which caused Lynn to flinch. When she did so, Lincoln grinned and punched her twice in the arm, exclaiming, "Two for flinching!"

Lynn wiped her eyes and began to laugh, returning the gesture with two affectionate arm punches of her own before tackling Lincoln with a giant bear hug. All he could do was hug her back and say, "Thanks so much for that trophy, Lynn."

"So we're cool again?"

"We're downright frosty." Lynn smiled and picked Lincoln up off the floor, dusted him off, and returned his Dairy Land udder hat to its rightful perch. She winked at Lincoln and advised, "You guys should get going if you wanna beat the crowds."

"Good idea. Well, see you later!" Lincoln opened the door and began to leave, but he stopped halfway. With a smile on his face, he turned back around and said, "You know, there's room for one more. You up for it?"

Touched by Lincoln's generosity, Lynn responded, "Are you sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Lynn whipped out her own udder hat and shoved it onto her head, exclaiming, "ALL RIGHT! DAIRY LAND, HERE WE COME!" She unlocked the door and tore downstairs, reaching Vanzilla in no time flat. Her siblings exchanged surprised glances as Lynn asked, "Mind if I tag along?"

"Is it okay with Lincoln?" Luna asked.

"It's perfectly fine," Lincoln answered as he swung his arm over Lynn's shoulders. "The two of us are cool again."

"Good to know," Lori said, "but you'd better get your butts in the van! My watch reads nine minutes and 45 seconds! I'd get a move on if I were you!"

"Yes ma'am!" Lynn and Lincoln opened the door and hopped inside in a flash, barely buckling their seatbelts in time as Lori backed Vanzilla out of the driveway and began the long ride to Dairy Land. As his siblings fell into their normal car ride activities, Lincoln steeled himself for a round of Auto Attack, but to his surprise, it never came. Instead, Lynn threw her arm over Lincoln's shoulders and gave him a warm smile. "Love you, bro."

Lincoln smiled back and replied, "Love you too, sis. Hey, when's your next baseball game?"

"This upcoming Sunday."

"I'll be there."

Lynn smiled even wider and gave him a full-on embrace, which Lincoln returned in kind. With a relieved grin on his face, the white-haired boy turned to face the camera, only saying three words:

"It's finally over."

He returned to the hug as Vanzilla traveled down the highway, knowing that everything was going to be okay. He had his room back, he had his dignity back, but more importantly, he had his family back. And that was all that mattered.

END

* * *

The Loud House and its characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino.

Linkin Park lyrics copyright 2003 by Mike Shinoda.


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